Thursday
September 14, 2017
7pm to 8pm -Free
Open to The Public
 
FSUCML Auditorium
3618 US-98
St. Teresa, FL 32358
 Refreshments available before talk  
    
 

 
   Live Sawfish Birth

Live Sawfish Birth
 
Smalltooth Sawfish in Florida and the Bahamas: Is there hope for this critically endangered species? - Dr. Dean Grubbs, Ph.D - FSU Coastal & Marine Lab 

T he sawfishes are a small group of large, formidable marine predators, but unfortunately they are also the most endangered of all groups of marine fishes. The smalltooth sawfish, which grows to more than 16 feet in length - making it among the largest coastal fishes in the world, was the first native marine fish listed as Endangered under the United States' Endangered Species Act. In the Northwest Atlantic the remaining smalltooth sawfish population is concentrated in southwest Florida and portions of the Bahamas. Unfortunately, very little was known about sawfish ecology, migration, growth rates or reproduction prior to the population declines, thus impeding recovery predictions. Over the past eight years, we have been using a variety of tracking techniques to uncover the mysteries of sawfish habitat use and movement patterns. We have also used a blood hormones and ultrasound to understand the reproductive biology of sawfish, recently discovering locations where mating and birthing take place. In addition to discussing these findings and the future for smalltooth sawfish in Florida, I will show a video from our work documenting for the first time ever, the birth of wild sawfish.  
 
About the Speaker:
Dr. Dean Grubbs is fish ecologist with interests in the biology of poorly studied as well as recreationally and commercially important estuarine and marine fishes. Much of his research addresses specific biological gaps necessary for management and conservation coastal and deepwater sharks and rays. He is a member of the IUCN Shark Specialists Group and the NOAA Smalltooth Sawfish Recovery Implementation Team and is President of the American Elasmobranch Society, the largest scientific society dedicated to the study of sharks and their relatives. Dean is Associate Research Faculty and the Associate Director of Research at Florida State University's Coastal and Marine Laboratory where he mentors graduate and undergraduate students, engages in community outreach, and maintains and active research program on the ecology of deepwater and coastal fishes.
 
UPCOMING EVENTS
 

     Workshop:  Evening At The Edge of The Sea with Dr. Heidi Geisz

      September 17th &
October 22nd - 6-9pm  FSUCML

More Info >

Whatever Floats Your Boat Regatta

Be part of the fun!  Build a boat and enjoy a day at the lab with family and friends to cheer you on!